As this is anoperational matter for the Scottish Water, I have askedthe chief executive to reply to your enquiry directly.

Under theEducation (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, educationauthorities must keep under consideration the additional support needs of, andthe adequacy of additional support provided to, each child and young personwith additional support needs for whose school education they are responsible.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorof Education (HMIE) as part of their general inspection programme, review andpublish reports on the effectiveness of support and educational provision forchildren with additional support needs.

Additionally,HMIE is undertaking a specific evaluation of dyslexia over the period 2007-08,which will provide a clear picture of support, provision and practice across Scotland.Their final report is due to be published in late 2008.

This information isnot currently held centrally.

However, from 2006, the Scottish Executive annual pupilcensus started to change how it records additional support needs and included aspecific category to record pupils for whom dyslexia is reported as a reason foradditional support being required. Previously such pupils were included in a widercategory.

Further informationis available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/02/27083941/12and http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/02/27083941/14.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-2930 on 27 August 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Through the nationalcontinuing professional development framework, the Scottish Executive expects allteachers to be able to recognise and know how to support pupils with additionalsupport needs, including dyslexia.

In support of this,following recent talks with the Executive, the General Teaching Council for Scotland have now added five new areas to their professional recognitionframework, one of which is dyslexia. This will provide a clear pathway which teacherscan use to gain recognition for their expertise in teaching children with dyslexia.

In addition, the Executiveprovides education authorities with £7.2 million over 2007-08 specifically for thetraining and development of staff working with pupils with additional support needs,including dyslexia. The priority is to tailor educational provision to meet theneeds of the individual pupil. A further £13.5 million is being issued over 2007-08to allow local authorities to co-ordinate and provide continuing professional developmentfor teachers.

Figures on rainfallin Scotland are published by the Met Office at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/seriesstatistics/scotrain.txt.The average annual rainfall in Scotland since 1950 has been extracted from thissource and is set out in the chart and following table:

Average Annual Rainfall (mm) 1950-2006

Year	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
Average annual rainfall (mm)	1,556.9	1,450.6	1,275.7	1,340.0	1,706.1	1,131.3	1,422.6	1,456.8	1,318.3	1,315.9

 

Year	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
Average annual rainfall (mm)	1,268.3	1,401.6	1,409.2	1,215.6	1,234.7	1,346.6	1,426.2	1,526.8	1,216.2	1,185.8

 

Year	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
Average annual rainfall (mm)	1,441.3	1,161.9	1,154.0	1,245.1	1,449.3	1,217.2	1,271.3	1,385.5	1,352.0	1,472.7

 

Year	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Average annual rainfall (mm)	1,460.5	1,472.5	1,578.7	1,442.6	1,401.5	1,439.9	1,572.3	1,296.1	1,529.7	1,428.9

 

Year	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Average annual rainfall (mm)	1,819.7	1,402.1	1,663.4	1,424.6	1,551.9	1,432.7	1,226.5	1,371.0	1,676.9	1,666.3

 

Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Average annual rainfall (mm)	1,625.8	1,307.7	1,618.5	1,206.5	1,685.6	1,582.2	1,646.5

Source: Met Office.

Notes:

The average annualrainfall figure includes snow that has been melted by the observer.

The average valueshave been derived from 5km grids.

Allowances have beenmade for topographic, coastal and urban effects where relationships are found toexist.

The official sourcesfor estimates of the number of people aged 16 to 19 not in employment, educationor training are the Labour Force Survey and the Annual Population Survey. Table1 shows the estimates of the number of people aged 16 to 19 and not in employment,education or training who have a disability and the estimates of the proportionof people who are aged 16 to 19 and not in employment, education or training whoare disabled.

As these estimatesare taken from sample surveys they are subject to a degree of error.

Table 1 Number andProportion of People who are Aged 16 to 19 and Not in Employment, Education orTraining with a Disability.

	Number	Percentage
1999	8,000	20.4%
2000	6,000	15.3%
2001	6,000	14.5%
2002	**	**
2003	7,000	19.6%
2004	6,000	17.4%
2005	8,100	22.3%
2006	6,900	21.7%

Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS),Quarters combined for 1998-2002. Annual Scottish LFS (ASLFS) for 2003. Annual PopulationSurvey 2004 onwards

Notes:

1. Data for 1999-2003 are based on a seasonal year (March to February) whereasdata for 2004 onwards are based on a calendar year (January to December).

2. Disability is self determined.

** Data are unreliable.

Information on thenumber of people who are 16 to 19 and not in education, employment or training andwho have a drug problem is not held centrally.

There is no singleor commonly agreed definition of dyslexia across Scotland. However, the Scottish Executive is in the early stages of taking forwardwork to develop a working definition of dyslexia which can be readily understoodby parents and be of practical use to teachers in the classroom.

Whatever definitionis used, education authorities and schools should have appropriate arrangementsin place for identifying and meeting the needs of each individual pupil.

The official sourcesfor those aged 16 to 19 not in employment, education or training are the LabourForce Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS). However, in a researchreport carried out by the Training and Employment Research Unit of Glasgow Universityon behalf of the Scottish Executive it was recommended that a combination of SchoolLeavers Destinations Statistics and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefitsinformation are used to monitor the change at a local level. It is recognised thatthis measure underestimates the true number of 16 to 19-year-olds not in employment,education or training however it provides a reliable and consistent measure belowthe national level. Table 1 shows the number of 16 to 19-year-olds entering negativedestinations combined with the number of 18 to 19-year-old benefit claimants bylocal authority.

Information on schoolleavers destinations and DWP benefits are not available by Local Enterprise Company.Therefore table 2 shows the estimated number of 16 to 19-year-olds who are not inemployment, education or training by local enterprise company taken from the LFS/APS.Data from the LFS/APS are only available by local enterprise company from 2003 onwards.Please note that these estimates are subject to a degree of error.

Data on the numberof people who are aged 16 to 19 and not in employment, education or training bypostcode area are not held centrally.

Table 1. Those Enteringa Negative Destination on Leaving School or Claiming a DWP Benefit by Local Authority Area

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Aberdeen	900	920	1,020	990	1,010	990	730	720
Aberdeenshire	690	600	560	630	830	840	660	620
Angus	510	530	530	540	550	500	420	480
Argyll and Bute	400	410	360	350	360	320	310	370
Clackmannanshire	300	330	310	320	410	330	280	320
Dumfries and Galloway	770	680	670	640	640	660	670	640
Dundee	1,110	1,010	1,090	1,060	1,150	1,000	920	960
East Ayrshire	860	790	820	820	890	820	880	820
East Dunbartonshire	410	430	410	370	410	360	310	300
East Lothian	300	310	330	370	450	380	420	410
East Renfrewshire	270	230	260	260	310	390	250	250
Edinburgh	1,600	1,540	1,480	1,580	1,850	1,750	1,960	1,700
Eilean Siar	90	60	50	60	50	70	50	70
Falkirk	760	780	820	780	940	880	750	690
Fife	2,090	2,100	2,190	2,220	2,220	2,100	1,780	1,800
Glasgow	4,790	4,570	4,380	4,180	4,100	4,110	3,370	3,330
Highland	900	950	850	980	930	990	940	800
Inverclyde	630	440	610	600	660	600	460	420
Midlothian	330	320	380	390	400	350	420	430
Moray	390	340	360	290	360	400	430	410
North Ayrshire	1,030	1,010	1,020	910	940	930	830	910
North Lanarkshire	2,140	2,030	2,130	2,140	2,220	2,120	1,720	1,640
Orkney	80	70	50	60	60	60	70	60
Perth and Kinross	490	460	420	440	470	470	380	420
Renfrewshire	990	960	1,070	960	1,030	1,020	840	830
Scottish Borders	390	420	400	420	330	380	360	370
Shetland	60	70	50	60	50	80	70	60
South Ayrshire	670	620	560	610	590	670	550	550
South Lanarkshire	1,590	1,410	1,520	1,640	1,590	1,460	1,360	1,330
Stirling	420	450	380	420	440	370	400	320
West Dunbartonshire	760	590	730	660	630	670	610	630
West Lothian	870	840	800	930	950	900	960	890

Source: School LeaversDestinations Survey, Department for Work and Pensions.

Table 2. Number of16 to 19-Year-Olds Not in Employment, Education or Training by Local EnterpriseCompany

	2003	2004	2005	2006
HIE Argyll and the Islands ( HIE Earra-Ghaidheal)	**	**	**	**
HIE Caithness and Sutherland (HIE Gallaibh agus Cataibh)	**	**	**	**
HIE Inverness and East Highland (HIE Inbhir Nis agus Taobh Sear na Gaidhealtachd)	**	**	**	**
HIE Lochaber (HIE Loch Abar)	**	**	**	**
HIE Moray	**	**	**	**
HIE Orkney	**	**	**	**
HIE Shetland	**	**	**	**
HIE Skye and Wester Ross (HIE An t-Eilean Sgitheanach is Taobh Siar Rois)	**	**	**	**
HIE Western Isles	**	**	**	**
Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire	3,000	4,000	2,000	3,000
Scottish Enterprise Borders	**	**	**	**
Scottish Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway	**	**	**	**
Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire	2,000	2,000	1,000	1,000
Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian	5,000	4,000	6,000	3,000
Scottish Enterprise Fife	**	**	**	**
Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley	**	**	**	**
Scottish Enterprise Glasgow	6,000	7,000	8,000	6,000
Scottish Enterprise Grampian	**	**	**	**
Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire	7,000	4,000	5,000	4,000
Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire	2,000	2,000	**	2,000
Scottish Enterprise Tayside	**	2,000	2,000	2,000

Source: Annual Scottish LFS (ASLFS)for 2003. Annual Population Survey 2004 onwards.

Notes:

1. Data for 2003 are based on a seasonal year (March to February) whereasdata for 2004 onwards are based on a calendar year (January to December).

**Data are unreliable.